The Thinking Series is where Ginger Locke talks with some of the sharpest minds in Emergency Medicine about how they think about various chief complaints.
In this episode, one of the few flight physicians in the US, Dr. Cynthia Griffin, shares how she sorts through patients with the chief complaint of agitation. She works both in-hospital and out-of-hospital, so her perspective is truly unique. What you will quickly hear is that she is relatable, smart, and happy to share what she knows with medics because she was one for many years before becoming an Emergency Medicine doctor.
She makes a point to describe how she actually leans into the patients who are the most salty because she knows, like all of us, we can be biased when confronted with the agitated patient.
The Thinking Series is off to a great start with the Thinking: Chest Pain episode being one of the most listened-to episodes to date.
Reuben Strayer’s talk at SMACC where he discusses 3 types of agitated patients
The Upset Patient Protocol by Rob Orman on ER Cast
Tinker-with-the-Concepts Activity
List the the 3 types of agitated patients described in the episode.
Dr. Griffin says that she is sometimes aware that agitated patients cause bias. Define Fundamental Attribution Error.
What screening question does Dr. Griffin use in the detection of patients who might be victims of human trafficking?
Ginger asked about unilateral neurological deficits with hypoglycemia. Is there literature to support that this happens?
Define Gestalt.
What are the steps of the “Upset Patient Protocol” as outlined in ERCAST podcast hosted by Dr. Rob Orman?
Medic Mindset 